Leaving an organization where you have been working is a tough experience but saying goodbye to the co-workers could make it even more difficult. After a short time at work, it is essential to leave on a good note and leave a very good impression on your team as well as the other employees in the organization.
A farewell message in the form of an email can be one of the effective ways to show your gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of your colleagues and your supervisor and to impart your best wishes for their future endeavors.
Content Outline
Some Factors To Consider When Writing A Farewell Letter
When should you write the farewell letter? And how do you do it properly? Below is a checklist of Dos and Don’ts that you need to bear in mind before proceeding with writing your farewell letter email.
1. It’s always good to ask the boss before you can speak your mind
When preparing to send your farewell letter to your other colleagues, just ensure that your manager has already notified everyone about your plan. Don’t send a farewell letter before the employer has officially informed everyone that you are leaving. After this has been confirmed, you may proceed to plan for your farewell email to your fellow employees.
2. When should you officially say anything even after the people already know that you are leaving?
You can then relay the same to your immediate team once your manager approves it. Usually, most people do not wait until the last day to give a word to the closest team members because there oftentimes is a scenario where someone has to continue working on whatever you do until your replacement comes.
Also, some co-workers may consider themselves close enough to be told some news or stories, but you may not consider them friends enough for you to share with them. Your company may not approve it if you tell many people that you are leaving, because it may deflate morale of the employees, depending on the company’s attrition level. So, before you go and tell different people that you have resigned, try to aim at doing it in a way that will maximize your chances of being able to quit in a positive way.
In the same company to persons with whom you are not friends but know them, you can send an email to them one or two days to your last day. Another way of writing a farewell email to your close team on your last few days in the company is also possible, and it is like a loop that ends your departure.
3. Ensure that you properly address the subject line in the farewell letter
The process of writing the best farewell email subject line is not as easy as it is made out to be. Make sure you write what can be easily comprehended and indicate the contents of the email. Here are some examples:
- Transition to a new endeavor
- Say thank you for everything
- Saying goodbye
- A new adventure is to be expected to begin in your life
- A new chapter in your career
- The next chapter of your career
- Saying thank you for being a good team
- Saying that you will miss working with the team
4. Steps to writing a farewell letter
No matter how you may feel about leaving, it is proper to bid your colleagues farewell and write a personal note to every member of your team. If possible, you might even opt to write hand notes for the immediate members of your team.
However, you may be overwhelmed with a lot of work that you have to complete before your last day, therefore it will be understandable if it is difficult for you to write individual letters.
Remember to be grateful
In any given case, the tone of your email should be polite and welcoming. If you are writing to somebody close, you can write what you like about them or something funny in the email to be more memorable. Explain them how they have been a great friend and keep the email as informal as you would talk in person.
Include relevant contact details
It is also important to provide your email address, mobile number and perhaps your LinkedIn account link. Depending on your next role, it is necessary to maintain contact with your ex-colleagues so that you can get career advice in your career life. If you are transitioning into contract work, they could also potentially be your first employers.
Consider an email message to colleagues with whom you don’t have a friendly relationship
It is best to refrain from composing lengthy emails to the co-workers across the corporation. This could be discouraging and most only require to know a little about your transfer to a new organization.
An properly written farewell message is capable of conveying the right message to the right people. Therefore, regardless of how you wish to create an impression to the individual reading your goodbye email, make sure that he or she will perceive you as a wonderful person.
When it is needed to maintain various degrees of relationships, it can be useful to write a short message to everyone, but then to enclose a warmer farewell and your contact details to those with whom you were professional friends or colleagues or a close friend.
Keep the proper tone of communication with your manager
It might be appropriate to send a separate farewell letter to your direct supervisor because your working relationship with him/her may have differed from most of your co-workers.
If the relationship was good, you should show how lucky you were to have reported to them. Politely inform them that you are exiting with a heavy heart and state that it was great doing business with them. If your relationship with your manager hasn’t been positive it is possible to just include them in the email you were going to send to everyone.
Provide the right message to your clients
If you have been managing clients, then do so on a good note. Encouraging words such as a personal message to the clients to say that it has been nice to work with them and warm wishes to them and their businesses.
Make sure you let them know that you will be forwarding details to the respective employees managing their affairs when you are off. If needed, you can also add that other colleague to the email as well. During this transition, it is crucial to make a smooth transition in business, so a proper goodbye mail is helpful. Include the phone number or the email if it is possible and necessary.
Always be calm and polite at all times
Regardless of how much you may dislike your job or your colleagues, you should not make it obvious. If you think there is some constructive comments about the company you want to tell the managers that they could use for improvement, you would have been able to tell it to your direct managers before you decided to resign and, therefore, it would not need to wait for the exit interview to say it.
So in fact, not everyone is going to responded positively to your comment, which may be in fact why you have quit.
It is not appropriate to complain or make negative comments about your work or individuals in your farewell messages to the company and in your resignation letter. It is possible that, you are cutting vital networks that may have helped your career in the next few years. There are certain recommendations that come with the job which you also may not get to see or hear. We should therefore not get overpowered with the emotions and lose your professional status.
The way an individual departs a company has a lot to with his/her personality, productivity to the company and anything that concerns the future. Just like most other aspects in life, there is a proper way of going about it in case one wants to leave and there is a way that is considered wrong in the eyes of the institution. Altogether, these suggestions on the farewell notes will assist you in enhancing the processes’ performance rates.
Farewell Letter Examples
Here are three samples of farewell letters for you to tailor your message for your colleagues. It is recommended to add any particular messages that you find relevant and important for you.
Example: 1
Subject – farewell and thank you for all the memories!
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a mixed feeling that I have to leave you all after working for [insert period of your employment] at [insert company name]. As some of you might already know, I have decided to seek new experiences and diversify my experience.
It is my great pleasure to say that all your hard work and dedication made my time at [insert company name] most enjoyable. I have now realized that I have gained so much from each of you and it was so nice to have a great time with all of you. I am leaving with a positive attitude and satisfaction, feeling that I was able to contribute in one way or another to the success of this organization.
I also would like to extend my good wishes to you in all your future endeavors. Please keep in touch, via [insert social media platform] or [insert the address of your personal email].
Once again I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with you. But most of all, I will miss all of you dearly.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Example: 2
Subject: Goodbye and thank you for everything.
Dear all,
Many of you might be aware that I have decided to resign from my employment with [insert name of the company] for my career change. My last day here will be [insert last day].
I felt it was important to express my gratitude to all of you for making my time here highly rewarding and fruitful. I have been privileged to work with such a hardworking and skillful team in my professional career. There are no words that can describe my appreciation for the lessons I have received from each of you as well as the encouragement I have enjoyed during these years.
While it is sad that I have to go, at the same time, I feel certain about the potential of the company. I am sure that I will also be applying what I’ve learned here for my career development.
I hope you are all well and desire you to be as successful and happy in your professional and personal endeavors. Please feel free to add me on [insert social media platform] or contact me to [insert personal email address] to keep in touch.
Again, I thank you all for everything.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Example : 3
Subject: Farewell message
Dear colleagues,
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to write a farewell message before my resignation at [insert company name]. The final day I will be here is [insert last day].
As my time here comes to an end, I wanted to personally thank all of you for the guidance, support, and friendship that you have shown over the past months/years. Honestly, I have found it quite a pleasure to work with a talented and enthusiastic team, and for this, I will forever be grateful for the time that we have spent here.
While it is so difficult to say goodbye, I am also eager to welcome new challenges in my life. I hope that all the skills and experience that I get here will be useful in my future career. I am content with what I have earned and the bonds I have created and I will have the warm memories from my time on [insert company name].
Thank you once more for all of your help. I hope to continue our friendly relationship. Here are my contact details [insert social media platform] account or [insert personal email address].
Best wishes,
[Your name]
How FastLane Group Can Help?
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